A Step Too Far
by detrametal
Summary: Noodle catches the end of an argument between 2D and Murdoc. One that ends with 2D punching Murdoc and in trying to figure out what happened she learns of Paula. Confronting 2D about it seems like the only way to get answers even if they lead to an unexpected ending.


It's official. Gorillaz is my newest obsession. Several people noted I'm strangely cyclic in things and this is just another one of those things. I first heard _Feel Good Inc._ when it came out and _Dare_ but I didn't search them out or anything, partly because I was young. Then a wonderful Youtube video by Anthony Vincent got me back into the band and I dove in head first. And as you can tell I ship 2Nu. I'm working on several other stories that develop slower than this but I was in the mood for something extra fluffy.

Ye be warned, not beta-ed and one bad American trying to type in a Cockney accent.

* * *

Noodle walked in to the recording studio to hear the sound of fist hitting face. Not an unusual sound but this time it was Murdoc laying on the floor with blood running from a cut under his eye and 2D standing above him panting "Don't you evea mention Paula to me again you lousy bastard." then he stormed out leaving the entire room in shock. Murdoc staggered out mentioning something about ice and his room.

Russ was the only one who saw the whole thing, from behind the kit of course, but his mouth was still agape before Noodle asked "Russel what happened? Who's Paula?"

Russ ran a hand over his face "Noodle girl…Murdoc was raggen' on 'D that he was always too weak and then 'D said he ain't never had that problem before. Muds crossed the line mentioned on of the few things that pisses off 'D like nothing I ever seen before."

By now they were walking out of the studio and down the hall to the kitchen "But who was Paula?" the 20 year old asked.

The drummer pinned her with a solid stare "Noods…Paula did something unforgivable to 'D. That's all I can say, the rest is up to him to tell you."

Noodle thought about things for a moment before asking "Do you thing 'D would be okay with me asking?"

The drummer only ran a hand across his bald head "No idea baby girl."

* * *

Laying on his bed 2D's thoughts turned to their former guitarist and to his failures. His lousy luck with women was especially prominent. Before Paula there were three more, all of who dropped him like a bad habit to date someone else. Then there was Paula. Currently his latest infatuation that was biting him in the ass.

A knock came at the door "2D? It's me. Can I come in?"

Sighing, he debated for a moment, if he said no she'd bug him until he did so he just gave in "It's open."

The guitarist slowly walked in, her steps were silent as she moved around the clean room, to be honest he had cleaned it yesterday and was thanking whatever gave him the motivation. Her eyes were pinned to him searching him for any cracks, like brittle glass after a storm. "I spoke to Russel." she whispered and he tensed knowing what their friend had said "Can you tell me about Paula?"

He sighed as he sat up and patted the bed beside him. She glided over, though it seemed to almost be a dance, before she sat much closer than he had indicated. Her thigh was pressed up against his and he couldn't help but glance down at where they touched. She didn't catch him looking, she was busy looking-staring at his door while she reveled in the feeling of his leg against hers, the very heat of him seemed to penetrate his jeans and burn her skin in the most pleasant way.

"Paula was me girlfriend, and the guitarist for Gorilla. Before we met you that's what we called ourselves." he stared down at his feet with an empty look on his slack face. "We 'ad moved into Kong Studios and me and Paula were going good… I thought. We'd been dating about 4 years when Russel found her in the loo snoggin' wif Murdoc."

He still wore that blank expression that often painted his face but Noodle could feel the hurt radiating off him "I am sorry Stuart." her words were spaced and deliberate.

He didn't look up "Nofin' you could have fixed Noods. Just me bein' a failure 'sall."

She quickly turned and grabbed the sides of his face "You are not a failure!" her face was serious, the same deathly serious that he had seen on Plastic Beach. "You are one of the best human beings I have ever had the honor of meeting!"

He pulled his head away "Noodle I ain't anybody. Every girl I've dated ends up breaking up wif me for some other bloke."

She let out a snarl "And how many women would that be?"

"Four." he said with a sigh. His mood was spiraling deeper and deeper.

Noodles felt her anger leave at that single word. Her best friend was slowly slouching, like just thinking about it was taking his energy. "They lost out on something great." she told him.

He snorted "Time they could have spend wif someone ovher than me."

Now she was growing worried "'D?" she started as she knelt in front of him. His emotionless black eyes stared at her "Do you really not see how amazing you are?" his face screamed disbelief in it's utter blankness "You _are_ amazing. You're the lead singer of the Gorillaz! We're one of the biggest bands ever! We've got people begging to collaborate with us on anything and you're the voice of that!"

Without hesitating he countered "'Cause Murdoc drove a car into me 'ead."

She held out her hands "See! Proof! How many people live after getting hit by a car in the _head_ then thrown out of one!" his face said he didn't care. She shot forward to wrap her arms around him "Stuart Pot, you are my friend. You are not a failure and you are the one person that I would go back to Hell for."

He gently pushed her away "Luv, I'm just a creepy old man."

She laughed in earnest before settling against his chest to wrap her arms around his thin shoulders "You're not creepy or old."

He was looking thoroughly unimpressed "Noods, I'm almost double your age."

There was a slight change of the light in her eyes "So?"

"Face it you're hangin' out wif a bunch of old blokes."

With the strange light still in her eyes she asked "What's wrong with that?"

"You should be out wif people you own age, doin' normal fings. 'Nstead you're 'angen' out wif a bunch of old fogies who like to hit each other."

The young lady giggled "I've seen people my age. They're idiots. I'd much rather hang out with people too old for me."

"What do you mean 'too old for you'?" it wasn't the words that had him asking but the phrase. It almost made it sound like she was-.

She was kissing him.

As he was speaking she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She let go of his lips to whisper "Those girls lost out on a lot. Though if they didn't I wouldn't be kissing you."

Before he could reply she was pressed to his lips again, this time with more pressure and he let out a moan which she took advantage of and slid her tongue inside his mouth. Her hands which had been against his back slowly slid to his shoulder and his own grabbed her elbows. A moment later she moaned into his mouth and reality hit him hard.

He shoved himself off the other side of the bed "I-I-I cain't!"

Her smile was predatory "Can't?" she asked rhetorically "We were doing just fine a minute ago."

He stuttered "B-but I'm so much older than you!"

She shrugged "It's not the biggest gap." he opened his mouth "And I don't really care that you think we're too close. We're not and you obviously have some attraction for me with the way you kissed me."

He blushed a heavy shade of red and she climbed off the bed and on top of him as he tried to say something. Anything he could have said died when she kissed him chastely on the lips and curled up on his skinny chest with her head tucked under his.

The only sounds she could hear were his deep breathing and the steady but accelerated thump of his heart. She laughed quietly, more as the tension broke than anything "I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

"Huh?" he asked and giving up his internal fight wrapped her arms around her.

If she could have purred she would have "I never had the same feelings about you as Russel and Murdoc and thinking of you was the only thing that got me through Hell. I came back realizing that I loved you but I was too young and you were still traumatized by everything. Then we got evicted and that threw everything in the air again. Now I've got you and I'm not letting go."

He swallowed hard "Noods, it really ain't right."

She buried her face deeper in his chest while her smile never faltered "You mean 'hard' not 'ain't right' we can do this."

His hands were trembling but she grabbed one and held it firm. His shaking stopped. She was right. Noodle was a full grown woman who could make her own choices. She laughed "Russ actually knew about this before you did."

He squeaked out "What?!"

She kissed his nose "Just looking at me he knew I had a crush on you. He told me to be careful but that he'd support us."

2D was in shock, Russel, the levelheaded one of them was waiting for this? He couldn't help but think that maybe the drummer was seeing something he didn't. "Okay. We can try."

Noodle's mind had a parting shot to all the girls that had stepped on the poor man: _Mine now bitches!_


End file.
